


grey's anatomy, but messier

by 95liners



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe- Medical/Hospital, Gen, I do not know diseases pls bear with me, I say that because I am not a doctor, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Jargon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationships will be added, hospital au, other groups will be mentioned, potential triggers tagged in fore notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-10-05 05:38:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10298807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/95liners/pseuds/95liners
Summary: a look into the life of some of Neo Hospital's highest-ranking medical practitioners.; nct as doctors, basically.





	1. ;welcome to neo

**Author's Note:**

> hey! i've been wanting to do this for ages (i love medical au's, esp because i'm hoping to become a general surgeon when i'm out of school)
> 
> so, i'll link everyone's specialties and all down below.
> 
> any potential triggers (this fic will obv deal w surgeries nd the tragedies that come wt working in a hospital) will be tagged in these fore notes
> 
> anyway pls enjoy i spent like an hour painstakingly researching everyones specialties
> 
> ! also if some of it is wrong pls dont kill me it was 10:00pm

  * **_moon taeil ; neonatology_**



He’d been in at work for more than twelve hours already, and it was only 12:00pm, but Taeil could still feel the aftereffects of his morning coffee just burning out in his bloodstream. He made a mental note about the detrimental effects coffee does to one’s health, as a doctor does, whilst he made himself a new one and finished it in thirty seconds.

“Hyung, can you make me one, please?” came a sugary, disgustingly sugary, sweet voice from behind him, and Taeil fought back the urge to start crying.

“Go away, Yuta. Don’t you have a socially inept surgeon to harass?”

“Taeyong’s asleep in his office, and I’m not that cruel to deny the man his sleep.” Taeil nodded slowly, already turning to make Yuta his coffee – black, with no sugars. (Taeil _still doesn’t believe that Yuta is actually human, with how he takes his coffee, and how he can keep running around on only two hours sleep after forty-eight hours awake_ )

“How’s your shift been, hyung?” the Japanese man inquired, pulling over two chairs and sitting down. Taeil took the offered seat.

“Busy – we’ve got a preemie that was unstable for two hours, but luckily she’s stable for now. The others have been doing well, but I’ve still been running around, checking up on others and making sure parents don’t try to steal their baby home.” Taeil watched as Yuta’s coffee finished, already craving another. He stood up, cracking bones and pushing his chair back.

Yuta looked up at the older male, leaning back in his chair. “Where are you going, hyung? You’ve only just arrived.”

“Away from you, you always give me grief.” Taeil grinned tiredly at Yuta, before swiping a hand across his eyes and feeling exhaustion seep into his bones. “God, I’m so old,” ( _“you’re thirty-one!”_ ), “I should go into early retirement.” Taeil tapped Yuta on the shoulder as he left, neatly dodging a harried Taeyong, who was coming to grab Yuta for an emergency surgery.

 

Four more hours, and Taeil was _actually_ ready to go into extremely early retirement, especially if it would get him out of all this damn _paperwork_. He was just dozing off ( _“only for a second!”_ ) when a knock at his door startled him awake.

“Yeah?” Taeil muttered, turning around, only to see Ji Hansol, paediatrician and fellow old person, standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Taeil – how’re you going?”

“I’m not taking over anything you want me to do, Ji Hansol, and I’m not buying you anything to eat.”

“…”

“Okay, bye Taeil.” Taeil watched as Hansol immediately turned and exited his office, waving as he left. Chuckling to himself, Taeil turned back to his mound of paperwork, the smile immediately wiping itself off his face.

* * *

  *   ** _lee taeyong ; general surgery_**



Taeyong hasn’t slept more than five hours in three days. For being a highly-qualified doctor ( _a surgeon, even!_ ), his sleeping pattern is incredibly unhealthy.

However, there’s always someone needing to be stitched up, and Taeyong’s always being called.

It’s one of the rare moments when he’s not being constantly buzzed, and Taeyong was five seconds away from having a lovely date with Queen Mab, when his office door was slammed open ( _didn’t he lock that?_ ) and two trouble makers, who go by the title “Lee Taeyong’s Self-Proclaimed Best Friends”, exploded into his neat room.

Johnny Seo, nephrologist, and Nakamoto Yuta, perioperative nurse, were both currently holding two bags full of caffeinated drinks and junk food ( _Taeyong’s insides both recoiled and delighted in the sight_ ).

“Where,” his voice was tired and slightly exasperated, “did you get all that trash?”

“Your face.” “Your credit card.” Johnny and Yuta spoke at the same time, before looking at each other and grinning widely.

( _How were these men thirty, and well-respected medical practitioners?_ )

“I … okay, _how_ do you still have my credit card? Also, please stop trying to fatten up my liver, and send me to an early grave. I want to be internationally acclaimed before I die,” Taeyong added, taking the bag from Yuta and peering inside.

“You’re already close to being internationally acclaimed – you’ve got a few more countries to go,” Johnny stated, setting his bag on Taeyong’s desk and flopping down on the couch in the corner.

“This couch is perfect for, like, making out and having sex.”

“Seo Youngho, I’ve told you before – no fornicating on or in my office. _Especially_ on my couch.”

Johnny and Yuta giggled before Yuta flopped on top of the Chicago-born.

“ _Oh,_ Johnny!” Yuta moaned, giggling as he buried his face in Johnny’s neck. Johnny growled loudly, wrapping his arms around Yuta’s waist and pulling him closer.

“Come here, bab-“ he was cut off by his own laughter, and Taeyong throwing a box of staples at him.

“Shut up, you dog!” he snapped, no heat behind his words. Pulling out a can of Coca-Cola, and some chips, Taeyong pushed the bags towards the other two and opened his food.

“Hurry up and eat, you two. Yuta and I have this big surgery scheduled this afternoon, and I still don’t know what you do, Johnny, but apparently it’s important.”

“Being a nephrologist is _incredibly_ important! We hel-“

“See, _this_ is why all medical students inevitably hate themselves.  Because we debate the legitimacy of a degree we spent almost a decade and a bit out of our lives studying.”

“Thank you, Yuta, _once again._ ”

* * *

  *   ** _chittaphon leechaiyapornkul (ten) ; paediatrics [nursing]_**



“Mr Ten!” Mina, one of the younger Japanese girls, latched onto the Thai’s leg when he went past. “Please, Mr Ten, keep reading!”

Ten sighed, albeit fondly, and bent down to gently ruffle Mina’s hair. She was in the paediatrics ward for a broken leg, and was confined to no walking, without an aid, for three more weeks. She got a bit stir-crazy, and the other kids weren’t out at the time, so when Ten showed signs of leaving their “reading date”, Mina didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry, Mi-chan, but I have to check Jihoon – you know Jihoon, your friend? I must check him before he wakes up, and then I’ve got to see Doctor Hansol about something. I _promise_ , though, to be back and read before you go to sleep.” Ten brushed a soft kiss on her forehead, and cheered internally when she loosened her grip, allowing the nurse to breeze out of the common room and down the hall to Yoon Jihoon’s room.

Yoon Jihoon was the small, five-year-old son of Yoon Jeonghan, one of the leading lawyers in Seoul, and single father to, quite possibly, the cutest (and quietest) toddler in existence.

Ten bustled in, straightening clipboards and noting down vitals, when Jihoon stirred softly, before slowly opening his eyes.

“M…Mr Ten?” came his croaky, soft voice. Jihoon was hospitalised for an issue with his right lung – he was a premature baby ( _Moon Taeil had been his doctor, too, when he was a premature baby_ ) – and was, generally, very weak, even though his straightforward honesty, even for a five-year-old, made up for it.

“Yeah, sunshine?” Ten responded, moving over to smooth Jihoon’s hair down. _No fever, skin regular temperature. Good._

“I … I want my daddy.” Ten bit back a sympathetic cluck – Jeonghan always wished to spend more time with Jihoon, especially in hospital, but he was an in-demand lawyer, and worked long hours to provide the money for Jihoon’s hospital bills. Whenever he did drop by, Jihoon was rarely awake, so he tended to leave lots of toys.

He perched on the side of Jihoon’s bed, taking one of the teddy bears Jeonghan left for Jihoon off the counter, and handing it to the young Korean.

“Your daddy, he wishes to come more, but he works a lot, right? He works so you can feel good, and happy!” Ten grinned, but it faltered with Jihoon’s next response.

“But I … I don’t… feel good, Mr Ten. I … I want daddy …” Tears welled up in Jihoon’s eyes, and Ten quickly pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, swiping his fingers against Jihoon’s cheeks.

“Don’t cry, Jihoonie – your father will be here soon to help you feel better. If you want, I can stay with you and wait?” Hansol can wait – the kids always come first in Ten’s eyes.

Jihoon was silent for a moment, before slowly shaking his head.

“No thank you, Mr Ten. I … I’ll wait for Daddy by myself, like a … like a big boy.” Ten nodded encouragingly, kissing the younger’s forehead once more, before getting up to go.

“I’ll be back before you sleep, Jihoonie. Bye.” Ten waved his goodbyes, before hurrying down the hallway, once more, to Ji Hansol’s office. Pushing the door open and closing it behind him, he turned around to see the Busan-born half asleep, Red Velvet playing quietly on his laptop, and a Monster can on his desk.

“Oi, hyung, wake up!” Ten thumped on Hansol’s desk a few times, watching the older male jump, before levelling a tired glare at Ten.

“What … what’s the matter? Unless someone’s dying, go away.” Hansol slumped back in his chair, ready to go to sleep, when Ten thumped the desk again.

“Are we still on for tonight, with the others? Taeyong and Jaehyun are finally getting more than twelve hours off, and Doyoung’s already booked us – I just want to know whether or not you’ll waste Doyoung’s money. Please do, it’s hilarious.”

Hansol was quiet for a moment, gaze trained on his computer screen.

“Will … will Yuta be there?” Ten softened, nodding.

“Yeah, he’ll be there, but Hansol –“

“It’s fine, Ten – I’ve got work to do. Can you close the door behind you, please? Also, tell Doyoung I’ll pay him back next week.”

Ten sighed, watching as Hansol effectively closed the Thai off, and he left the room.

He shot Doyoung a quick text, before going off to find Mina once more.

 

_15:06, Tuesday_

**_[ten outta ten]_ **

_hes not coming : (((_

**_[rabbit]_ **

_What did I tell you, Ten?_

_He wouldn’t come – it’s too early._

**_[ten outta ten]_ **

_wish he would_

_i mean wasn’t it mutual?_

_it was all friendly too n yutas all fine_

**_[rabbit]_ **

_Then again, you’re not Lee Taeyong, or Johnny Seo._

_That boy tells those two everything._

_Pretty sure they know his bowel movements too._

**_[ten outta ten]_ **

_disgustin_

_taeyong would kill yuta before he lets yuta tell him that_

_anyway i have adorable kids to look after, have fun knocking ppl out_

_love u long time xxxx_

**_[rabbit]_ **

_I hate every aspect about you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ; specialties!
> 
> taeil ; neonatology (premature babies) - 31  
> hansol ; paediatrics (kids under age 18) - 31  
> johnny ; nephrology (kidneys - works with kun a lot) - 30  
> taeyong ; general surgery (kinda just does everything) - 30  
> yuta ; perioperative nurse (scrub nurse, helps taeyong and jaehyun mainly) - 30  
> kun ; endocrinology (endocrine system and hormones - works with johnny a lot) - 29  
> ten ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 29  
> doyoung ; anaesthetist (works with anesthesiology, NOT an anesthesiologist) - 29  
> jaehyun ; general surgery (like taeyong) - 28  
> sicheng ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 28  
> mark ; general surgery (does everything really) - 26, still a resident (last 2 years)  
> haechan ; infectious diseases nurse (its in the name) - 25, last year of residency
> 
> um my twitter is @ulthanyongs- im very nice and i love lots of groups very much pls come talk to me
> 
> ull find out more background info in the story n alll THANK U FOR READING


	2. ;the unhealthy need to work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Before Doyoung or Kun could respond, Taeyong was out of the door.  
> “W-Where’s hyung goin’?” came Sicheng’s voice, sleepy and slow."
> 
> ; where we get a first glimpse at taeyong's dedication to his job (read: unhealthy dedication)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI I HIT 2105 FOR THIS CHAPTER
> 
> it was really fun to write and i could finally go into depth w johnny (i actually forgot what a nephrologist did when i was writing the last chapter and i couldnt get on the internet)
> 
> anyway enjoy!!

  1. **_kim doyoung ; anaesthesiology_**



Doyoung has felt the urge to use his tools on some of his co-workers – he’s coming for Jaehyun one day – but he _did_ like them.

He still regretted going out with them last night, however.

Doyoung had planned a get-together on the night that most of them could take time off – Taeyong and Jaehyun had, essentially, been _forced_ their night off ( _with the promise of more, confirmed to be on their way. Taeyong physically shivered_ ), and the others managed to get a night off as well. He’d even booked a place at the local bar, and offered to pay the tab ( _what a mistake_ ).

But, obviously, Doyoung forgot to factor in one fact – drunk men.

 

It was only 11:21pm, and they’d only been at the venue for two hours, yet Johnny and Yuta were already a moment away from making out, Ten was draped over Taeil ( _who looked like he was ready to welcome the sweet release of death)_ and Jaehyun and Sicheng were crying in the corner.

Doyoung was glad he’d paid extra for their own room, because the sight was, quite frankly, embarrassing. Only he, Taeyong and Kun weren’t drunk – Kun had incredible alcohol tolerance, Doyoung would rather have a drunk Jaehyun perform a vasectomy on him than drink, and Taeyong refused to as well. ( _Doyoung was sure that he had told the hospital to let him know about any emergencies, and was waiting for that inevitable buzz_ )

“It’s a shame Hansol-hyung couldn’t come,” Doyoung heard a soft voice besides him – it was Kun, the endocrinologist. Doyoung nodded, shifting so he could hear the soft-spoken Chinese over the din of the others ( _read: Johnny and Yuta, with Taeyong attempting to shush them_ ).

“I didn’t think he’d come, but I was hoping he would.” Doyoung sipped at his Cola, watching Jaehyun slump onto Sicheng’s shoulder, eyes closed. “I thought it was too soon, but Ten and Jaehyun insisted I invite him, just in case.”

Kun nodded slowly, looking over at the others. “It was mutual, wasn’t it?”

“You’d think so – they pull it off so well.” Doyoung was cut off from explaining anymore by Taeyong standing up suddenly, leaving his drink on the table.

“Yah, Lee T- Yongie!” Yuta babbled, falling over Johnny to tug the surgeon’s pants. Taeyong gently extricated the Japanese’s arms, patting his head before making his way to Doyoung and Kun.

“Just got a text from the bosses – emergency surgery they need me to do. Get Jaehyun home safe, make sure Yuta doesn’t choke on his own vomit – stick them in my apartment, and have a good night.” Before Doyoung or Kun could respond, Taeyong was out of the door.

“W-Where’s hyung goin’?” came Sicheng’s voice, sleepy and slow.

“Is he goin’ off to work? Wha’ a tos-tot- what a bastard,” Jaehyun mumbled, before tugging Sicheng closer and falling back asleep. Taeil blearily looked up at the two, barely recognising the fact that Taeyong had left, before going back to playing with Ten’s hands.

Doyoung sighed, before pulling out his phone.

“Might as well record this – I have a growing collection of blackmail to use against Yuta-hyung.”

* * *

 

  1. **_nakamoto yuta, perioperative nursing_**



Yuta woke up to a blinding headache, a sickeningly nauseating feeling, and the immediate realisation that he was, in fact, not in his apartment, and not in his clothes from the night before.

Rolling to his right, Yuta was met with a solid wall of Johnny Seo, snoring and dead to the world. Groaning, the nurse sat up, looking around blearily. As his vision slowly stopped spinning, and he could recognise his surroundings, Yuta realised he was in Taeyong’s spare room, and wearing the spare pyjamas Taeyong made him get a year ago, instead of sleeping in his spare bed all the time in dirty clothes.

Yuta managed to gather the energy to push himself up, swaying slightly and fighting the urge to vomit, before making his way into Taeyong’s living room. As soon as he opened the door, he was assaulted with the smell of cooking bacon, and music playing as Taeyong cooked.

Pictures of Yuta and Taeyong as children decorated the older Korean’s living room – a photo of the two at their junior school graduation on the reading cabinet, Taeyong and Yuta at Taeyong’s graduation from medical school on the coffee table, and more photos littering throughout the area.

As Yuta neared the kitchen, he could hear Taeyong whistling along to the song – some English song that Johnny had introduced him to – as he expertly fried bacon.

“Yah, turn that down – you’re making my headache worse,” Yuta complained, plopping into a seat at the kitchen island, leaning forward to steal a piece of bacon.

“You were so drunk last night – I think Doyoung has a video of you and Ten attempting to give lap dances.”

“God, remind me to smash that asshole’s face.”

“You love him.” Taeyong turned around to deposit more bacon onto the plate, frowning at Yuta. “Stop eating all my food, this still has to feed Johnny.”

“Dumbass is supposed to be on some diet.” Yuta stole another piece of bacon, about to eat it, when large hands plucked it from him.

“Lying is a sin, Nakamoto,” Johnny’s low drawl came from behind, before settling into the seat next to Yuta. He flipped the Chicago-born off before stealing another piece of bacon, ignoring Taeyong’s protests.

“Eat my as-“ Yuta was cut off by Taeyong smacking his hand, making him drop his bacon.

“Anyways, how are you two feeling now? Like shit?” Taeyong turned around again, busying himself with three mugs and the coffee machine. Johnny nodded, groaning loudly before letting his head fall on the countertop. Yuta ran his fingers through the other’s soft, brown hair and grabbed another piece of bacon.

“I feel like someone’s dancing the salsa in my head.”  That drew a chuckle out of Johnny, body reverberating with the throaty sound.

“Well, I’ve got painkillers for you two, and I managed to get some clean clothing as well. You still have work, however.” Johnny moaned loudly, shaking his head.

“ _God_ , if I have to look at a goddamn kidney-“ he cut himself off, gagging slightly. Yuta dropped his hand to rub the other’s back, scratching lightly through the thin material of his pyjama shirt.

Taeyong clucked sympathetically as he brought two cups over, setting them in front of the two and grabbing two plates. He moved back to grab his mug, sipping the dark coffee and leaning back against the counter.

“Try not to throw up on anyone, please.” Johnny flipped Taeyong off weakly before grabbing his cup, slowly drinking it. Yuta filled his plate up, cutting up some bacon with a knife.

“So, Taeyong …”

Taeyong set his cup down, meeting Yuta’s gaze. “What happened?”

The nurse set his utensils down, standing up and moving over to Taeyong. He reached out and swiped his thumb across Taeyong’s cheek. When Yuta stepped back, dark eyebags showed, contrasting against the concealer Taeyong had put on, now on Yuta’s thumb.

“I’m not an idiot – I know when you’re wearing concealer, and I know that when you drink straight black coffee, you’re exhausted because you did an all-night shift at the hospital. You then came home to help clean Johnny and I up. Lee Taeyong, we have been best friends since we were in kindergarten, and you still think you can pull one over me.”

Yuta tore off a square of Taeyong’s paper napkins, gently wiping the rest of the concealer off. By the time all the makeup was off, Johnny had made his way over, pushing himself up to sit on the counter next to Taeyong. He wrapped an arm around the surgeon’s shoulders.

“Dude, I thought you were committed to that night off. You’d just finished that huge surgery, and you _deserved_ that break! What happened?” Taeyong shook Johnny’s hands off, pushing away from the two and making his way out of the kitchen and to his room.

“Y-Your painkillers are … are in the second drawer, and, yeah.” Taeyong disappeared into his room, and Yuta sighed, looking over at Johnny.

“Why is our best friend so emotionally constipated?” he asked, slumping against the counter. Johnny shook his head, sliding off the counter.

“I don’t know.”

* * *

 

  * **_jung jaehyun, surgery_**



Jaehyun quickly downed his two painkillers, the headache receding slightly, allowing him to focus more on his work. He should’ve taken the extra night off, but Jaehyun thrived off his work.

Plus, Taeyong was in, and Jaehyun had to make sure he came out of his office every three hours.

“Jung Jaehyun, I have a delivery for you.” Jaehyun looked up from his work – some paperwork, regarding the last big surgery he did, alongside Taeyong – to see his superior, Kim Junmyeon, with a young boy.

“Who’s this, hyung?” he asked, setting his work down and moving closer. Jaehyun held his hand out, smiling in a welcoming manner. “Welcome!” The younger shook Jaehyun’s hand, albeit weakly.

“This is Mark Lee, Jaehyun. He’s a third-year resident, just transferred to Neo. He’s studying to be a surgeon, so I thought I’d put him under you,” Junmyeon explained, one hand on Mark’s shoulder.

Jaehyun took in the resident’s appearance – he had dark brown hair, styled neatly and to the side. He was dressed in smart clothing, and looking every bit the proper resident, finishing with round, wire glasses perched atop his nose.

“Why me? Why not Taeyong, the leading surgeon?” Jaehyun questioned, hands now finding their way into his pockets. “I mean, isn’t it hierarchal?”

Junmyeon shook his head.

“Mark didn’t want to go under Taeyong, and with the amount of stress the poor guy has been putting himself under, I didn’t want to overload him with the responsibilities of being a mentor. You guys can collaborate, however, if you want.” Jaehyun nodded, before meeting Mark’s eyes. They were brown, wide-eyed and doe.

“Well, Mark, welcome to Neo.”

 

Today was a slow day, at least in comparison to Jaehyun’s other days.

Currently, he was teaching Mark about the wonders of post-surgery paperwork, whilst exchanging witty conversation with Sicheng – ( _“’Witty conversation’, who the hell says that anymore, old man?” “Shut your damn mouth, Dong Sicheng,_ ”) – over the phone and ignoring the fact that Taeyong locked himself in his office two hours ago, and has only come out once to get coffee, when Mark had gone to the toilet.

“Um … sunbaenim?” Mark’s soft voice floated into Jaehyun’s perception, causing the younger surgeon to look up.

“Yeah, Mark?”

“Um … you know Taeyong-sunbaenim, right?” Mark seemed shy, almost … scared. Jaehyun was confused – Mark knew that he and Taeyong worked very closely. Aiming to be a specialist in surgery, you’d know the names Lee Taeyong and Jung Jaehyun.

“… Yeah, why?” Mark seemed to retract even further, shuffling his papers and fixing his wire, round-rimmed glasses. Jaehyun felt a surge of protectiveness towards the younger male – he couldn’t have been younger than twenty-five, at least, but Jaehyun always had a soft spot for young, aspiring surgeons. ( _He always had more social tact than Taeyong_ )

“I, um … I don’t want to sound rude, but … isthereanywayIcouldnotworkwithhim?” Mark’s words jumbled together, and he immediately directed his attention elsewhere. Jaehyun leant back in his seat, deciphering what the young male had said.

“You … don’t want to work with Taeyong-hyung? Why not?” Jaehyun asked, curiosity evident in his voice. When it came to the medical field, Jaehyun was used to people favouring Taeyong over him, which he was fine ( _read: not all that fine_ ) with, but this was new. “I mean … it’s _Lee Taeyong_ , Mark, one of South Korea’s best surgeons! Why wouldn’t you want to work with him?”

Mark shrugged, looking up at Jaehyun.

“If … if he’s one of South Korea’s best, then what are you? You’re one of the best too, and I … I want to work with you.” Jaehyun was gobsmacked – this kid really was something new. But something was off – he genuinely didn’t want to work with Taeyong, even though he’d never met him.

“Well … I’m sorry, Mark, but we’ll have to work in tandem with him at some point. I promise, however, he’s really nice… He’s a bit socially awkward, and says the wrong thing sometimes, but he genuinely means the best.” Jaehyun laid a hand on Mark’s shoulder, patting it softly. The younger flinched slightly at first, before relaxing into the touch.

“I … okay, sunbaenim,” he whispered in response, and Jaehyun grinned his famous, blinding grin.

“Call me Jaehyun-hyung, Mark.”

“O-Okay … Jaehyun-hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hdkjsdh my bias towards the 95line is showing now BYE
> 
> pls enjoy this i love all the ppl who read this 
> 
> also pls comment bc us writers are desperate for that
> 
> ; specialties!
> 
> taeil ; neonatology (premature babies) - 31  
> hansol ; paediatrics (kids under age 18) - 31  
> johnny ; nephrology (kidneys - works with kun a lot) - 30  
> taeyong ; general surgery (kinda just does everything) - 30  
> yuta ; perioperative nurse (scrub nurse, helps taeyong and jaehyun mainly) - 30  
> kun ; endocrinology (endocrine system and hormones - works with johnny a lot) - 29  
> ten ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 29  
> doyoung ; anaesthetist (works with anesthesiology, NOT an anesthesiologist) - 29  
> jaehyun ; general surgery (like taeyong) - 28  
> sicheng ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 28  
> mark ; general surgery (does everything really) - 26, still a resident (last 2 years)  
> haechan ; infectious diseases nurse (its in the name) - 25, last year of residency
> 
> um my twitter is @ulthanyongs- im very nice and i love lots of groups very much pls come talk to me
> 
> ull find out more background info in the story n alll THANK U FOR READING


	3. ;the woes of a lee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s … familiar, somehow, but I can’t place it. I swear I’ve heard his voice before, and his eyes … they’re familiar, aren’t they?” 
> 
> ; the woes of a lee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> potential tw; mentions of asthma attacks (idk if this should be tagged but i want to cover all bases just in case)
> 
> idk i feel like i mightve rushed
> 
> then again these chapters are huge so its kinda like the sherlock episodes  
> (ilovesherlockbye)
> 
> anyway pls enjoy!

  * **_dong sicheng, paediatrics nursing_**



“Sicheng-ge!”

Sicheng’s head whipped around, seeing Chenle – a resident in paediatrics – run after him, his doctor’s coat billowing out behind him. Sicheng managed to catch the younger Chinese man before he slid into the wall, arms wrapping tightly around him.

“Yah, Chenle, what’s caused you to be in such a hurry?” Sicheng asked, tone fond as he let Chenle go, but the serious, almost frightened, look on the younger’s face sobered him up. “Chenle, what’s wrong?”

“You … Ten-hyung needs you … Yoon Jihoon’s room!” Before Sicheng could respond, Chenle took off again, running down the hall. It took Sicheng all of two seconds to process the information, before he started running in Chenle’s previous direction, towards Jihoon’s room.

He skidded to a stop in front of the room, only to see Jeonghan slumped outside, face buried in his hands, and Jihoon gone. Ten stood by Jeonghan, a consoling hand placed on his shoulder.

“What … what happened, hyung? Chenle just found me …” Sicheng stepped forward, standing next to Ten. Jeonghan sighed, scrubbing his hands across his face, before standing up again. He straightened his ruffled shirt out and pulled his blazer on.

“I’m going to get something to eat, and then I’ll be back,” he murmured softly, in a daze, before walking off. Sicheng leant against the wall, turning to look at Ten. The Thai nurse exhaled slowly, before turning to Sicheng.

“One of the other nurses was coming to check on Jihoon and found him barely able to breathe. His asthma had been triggered, and he couldn’t grab his inhaler, but he managed to press the alarm button right before she arrived. Luckily, we got here in time, but Hansol-hyung took Jihoon away for some more testing, just in case.” Sicheng’s eyes widened, and he sunk down against the wall.

“Wow, oh my God. Poor Jihoon,” he murmured, resting his head in his hands. “Why was Mr Yoon here, though?”

“He had just finished a major case and was coming to see Jihoon. He got here just as we got Jihoon breathing again,” Ten explained, sitting next to Sicheng. “It was scary, Sicheng-ie – he was turning blue, and he had tensed up. Hansol-hyung had to manhandle him so they could give him the oxygen.” Ten’s voice trembled, and Sicheng slowly wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. Even after working at the hospital for so long, it’s still hard seeing a patient in so much pain.

Ten dropped his head onto Sicheng’s shoulder, eyes shutting.

“It’s so hard, seeing them all in so much pain.”

Sicheng nodded, gently running his hand up and down Ten’s side. He stayed silent, even when Jeonghan returned, with a takeaway cup of coffee and suspiciously red-rimmed eyes. Even when Ten fell asleep on his shoulder, obviously exhausted from all his long hours. Sicheng stayed where he was, gently rubbing the older nurse’s side, providing silent comfort.

It wasn’t until two hours later when Hansol returned, wheeling back a tired, yet awake, Jihoon. Jeonghan was slumped against the wall, almost asleep, when he shot up upon seeing his son.

“Jihoon!” he gasped, moving forward and crouching down in front of him. “Can I pick him up?”

Hansol nodded, and Jeonghan immediately scooped the five-year-old into his arms, letting Jihoon weakly loop his arms around his neck, and taking him into his room.

Hansol made his way over to Sicheng and the sleeping Ten, crouching down.

“He’s asleep?” the doctor asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Ten’s ear. Sicheng nodded, hand stilling to rest on Ten’s waist.

“Asleep about five minutes after I arrived here. He, um, he told me about Jihoon …” Sicheng trailed off, watching Hansol’s expression drop.

“He’s not doing too well, but he’ll fight through it. He’s strong,” he added, before standing up. Hansol grabbed Ten’s hands gently, hoisting him up and over his shoulder. “I’ll let him sleep in my office – God knows he needs it. You continue with your work, but thank you for keeping him company.” Before Sicheng could respond, Hansol was gone.

Turning back to see Jeonghan sitting with Jihoon on the younger’s bed, Jihoon asleep in Jeonghan’s lap, Sicheng smiled softly before returning to his work.

* * *

 

  * **_johnny seo, nephrologist_**



Johnny downed his third cup of coffee, shuffled his papers regarding his latest patient’s information and set it in his filing cabinet.

Or as he likes to call it, ‘ _Narnia’._ ( _Taeyong thinks it’s a horrible idea. Yuta thinks it’s brilliant_ )

Yawning, he leant back in his chair, almost falling over, before standing up. He’d been sitting down for the last three hours, and his long legs were starting to cramp. Johnny walked over to the door to his office, opening it and letting himself out. He was getting a bit stir-crazy, and hungry.

Walking down the halls, Johnny could see all the employees milling about, doing their job. For example, senior cardiologist Lee Jinki was chatting with one of the receptionists, Kim Kibum, and accident-and-emergency nurse Park Chanyeol was playfully arguing with orthopaedic surgeon Byun Baekhyun. He even saw Yoon Jeonghan – the father of one of Ten’s patients – walking down the hall, looking absolutely wrecked.

Johnny turned another corner and saw Yuta and Jaehyun talking, a younger male standing behind the surgeon.

“Hey, losers,” he called out, moving over to the three and wrapping an arm around Yuta’s shoulders.

“What do you want, hoe?” Yuta snapped, jabbing Johnny’s side but snuggling back into his hold. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow, and the unknown male paled.

“Hi, hyung. I was just talking to Yuta about Mark, here. He’s the newest surgery resident here, just transferred from …”

“XO Hospital, hyung,” Mark chimed in, and Yuta tensed slightly, before relaxing. Jaehyun nodded, turning back to face Johnny.

“Yeah, he’s just transferred from XO, and I’m looking after him. Mark, this is Johnny Seo, nephrologist,” Jaehyun introduced Johnny, and Mark stepped forward, shyly holding out a hand.

“Mark Lee – pleased to meet you, sunbaenim.” He bowed, and Johnny grasped his hand, shaking it firmly and grinning widely.

“Not to sound rude, but I’m assuming you’re a foreigner?” Mark nodded, straightening out again.

“I’m from Canada, sunbae – moved here when I started university.” Yuta tensed again, looking Mark over carefully. The younger squirmed slightly under the Japanese’s intense stare, and Johnny squeezed his hand gently before letting go.

“Really? That’s awesome! I’m from America – Chicago – and I’ll be surprised if Jaehyun hasn’t told you at least ten times yet that he spent four years in California.” Mark nodded, and Jaehyun grinned sheepishly.

“Oh, well, would you look at the time? Mark and I have to … go. Come on, Mark,” Jaehyun added hurriedly, pushing the younger along and disappearing around the corner.

Johnny watched them go, before turning back to Yuta. He squeezed his shoulder gently, and the nurse looked up at him.

“What’s the matter? I could feel you tensing,” Johnny asked, concern evident in his body. Yuta stared at where Mark and Jaehyun had disappeared around the corner, brown eyes drilling holes into the wall.

“He’s … familiar, somehow, but I can’t place it. I swear I’ve heard his voice before, and his eyes … they’re familiar, aren’t they?” Now that Yuta brought it up, Mark did seem familiar.

“Maybe you’ve seen him at university? I know you go back to do talks, and maybe you’ve seen him there?” Yuta shook his head, looking up at Johnny then. He was so focused and bore holes into Johnny’s own eyes.

“No, he would’ve recognised me then. It’s something else, but I don’t know what …” Yuta looked at his watch and cursed loudly in Japanese before breaking free from Johnny’s grip.

“I’ve got to meet Kyungsoo-hyung for a surgery – I’ll see you later, Johnny!” Yuta waved a quick goodbye, before running off in the opposite direction.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Johnny leant back against the wall, stretching his back, before turning around and heading back to his office. Unfortunately, he had more paperwork to finish and file.

* * *

 

  * **_mark lee, general surgery (resident)_**



“Yes, mother, I’m fine … I’m eating … No, no one’s bullied me … No, you don’t have to sue the hospital, it’s fine … Okay bye, I love you.” Mark hung up, shoving his phone in his pocket and sighed, leaning back in his chair. He was holed up in the little cubicle outside of Jaehyun’s office, nestled in the corner away from prying eyes.

Mark, honestly, couldn’t believe he had been allowed to transfer to Neo Hospital – it was one of the, if not _the_ , most prestigious hospitals in Seoul, and housed some of South Korea’s most famous surgeons. Lee Taeyong and Jung Jaehyun, for example. Two incredibly young surgeons, who were dubbed “Boy Geniuses” and had successfully accomplished some amazing surgeries. Mark had attended some of Jaehyun’s speeches and thought the younger surgeon was incredible, and Taeyong – Lee Taeyong was above and beyond, but he was part of Mark’s apprehensions about applying for Neo Hospital.

Mark sighed as he received yet _another_ text from his mother – ‘ _eat well, and stay healthy! be careful!’_ **–** before turning his phone off and shoving it into a drawer. He turned back to his work – filling in some paperwork on a patient he must assess for Jaehyun tomorrow before a surgery – and started typing. The quicker it was done, the quicker he can do more practical work.

He was so focused, he almost didn’t notice a door opening, but he did hear a very familiar voice.

“Jaehyun?” Lee Taeyong called out, sticking his head out of his office. Jaehyun immediately responded in the same fashion, his head out of his office door.

“What’s the matter, hyung?”

“Are you taking Choi Junsu, or am I?”

“You are, aren’t you? You’re taking Yuta hyung in as well, right?”

“Yeah – who are you going to use?”

“Probably Sehun-hyung. Anyway, is that all?”

“Yeah, thanks. Bye.” Taeyong disappeared back into his office, and the door shut firmly. Jaehyun followed suit, and Mark let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

 _It’s not rational, is it, Mark?_ he told himself, but Mark couldn’t shake that slight, irrational fear whenever Taeyong was around.

A price for his prize – Neo Hospital, but he has to deal with his mother’s constant nagging and questions, whilst avoiding Lee Taeyong as best as he can.

 _He might not even-_ Mark cut his own thought process off, and turned back to work.

“Stupid, Mark. Just do your work,” he muttered to himself and got to work on typing up the general information on Jaehyun’s patient.

 

Mark was doing the rounds with Jaehyun a few hours later, writing down in his notepad as Jaehyun spoke.

“… and this is Mrs Jung Minah – excuse me, Mrs?” Jaehyun gently shook the older lady’s hand, and she turned to face him, grinning widely.

“Hello, Jaehyun-ie,” Minah said, her voice croaky and hoarse. A wrinkled hand grabbed his, and her breathing was erratic and wheezy.

“Mrs Jung here is scheduled for her cholecystectomy in a week,” Jaehyun said, picking up the clipboard at the end of her bed. “Vitals are fine, right Mrs?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Any more pain?”

“None more than usual, dear.”

“Okay …” Mark listened as Jaehyun kept asking Mrs Jung questions, writing down the information needed, until Jaehyun finished.

“Thank you, Mrs Jung, and I hope we can get rid of your pain soon.” Jaehyun grinned at the elderly lady, who grinned back. Her gaze shifted onto Mark, and she beckoned him closer.

“Young man … Mark,” Mrs Jung determined, after reading his nametag. Mark nodded, albeit shakily, as he stood at her bedside.

“You must be training with Jaehyun-ie, aren’t you? Oh, I remember when Jaehyun was training – you worked under Taeyong for a while, didn’t you?” Jaehyun nodded, moving to stand closer to Mark.

“Yeah – I watched some of his surgeries, and I’d help him do his rounds. Hyung was always so efficient.” Mark nodded, albeit tersely and automatically. Jaehyun must’ve noticed how stiff he got, because he gently tugged him away, waving goodbye to Mrs Jung.

Once they left the room, however, Jaehyun turned to Mark.

“Mark, I _really_ don’t want to pry – well, I do, but that’s just rude – but what is up with you and Taeyong-hyung? From what I know, you guys have not met at _all_ , right? But you refuse to work with him, and his name makes you tense! From what I can see, I’d say you’re … scared of him?” Jaehyun watched as Mark’s gaze dropped, meeting the floor. He rested his hand on Mark’s shoulder, squeezing it softly.

“Mark, you _will_ have to work with him soon – he’s incredible to watch, especially in the theatre. If … if you ever need to tell me anything, especially if it’s to do with Taeyong-hyung, please … talk to me.” Mark nodded, looking back up at Jaehyun.

“Okay, hyung.” Jaehyun grinned, before looking down at his watch.

“It’s … wow, it’s already eight. God, I did my rounds late. Uh, you can go home now, and I would if I were you – you’re going to start your busy weeks after this week.” Mark nodded, and Jaehyun clapped his shoulder before leaving.

 

“I’m home, mother!” Mark called out, carrying his bag over his shoulder and two plastic bags full of groceries. Mark’s mother, Mrs Lee, made her way out of the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Mark.

“Mark! How was work today?” Mark mumbled out a ‘ _good_ ’ and shimmied out of her grip, making his way into the kitchen to drop off the bags.

“I’m only stopping by for tonight, mother, to bring you some food. Where’s father?” Mrs Lee’s face crinkled at the mention of her husband, and she waved her hand.

“Your father will be home later – come eat with me, Mark! One son has forsaken me, at least you always return home!” Mark sighed inwardly as she went on, lamenting and preparing a plate of leftovers for Mark.

“I haven’t heard from your brother in ages, Mark! You’d think he doesn’t care anymore about his aging, poor mother! After all I’ve done for him,” she clucked her tongue, and set Mark’s food down in front of him. Mark slowly dug in, watching his mother move about the kitchen.

“I paid all of his university fees, and made sure he lived comfortably, and he rejects me like this?”

“Didn’t he pay you back, though?” Mark commented, and his mother shot the twenty-five-year-old a harsh glare, silencing him back into eating his food.

“Honestly, I do love him, but it’s so hard, with an ungrateful son like him,” Mrs Lee bemoaned, sinking into a chair. Mark sighed, outwardly this time.

“You essentially disowned him in university, Mother-“ ( _“I still paid for his fees, his father and I!”_ ) “and, when he grew to fame, you kept using him, even after he said he wanted nothing to do with you.” Mrs Lee glared once more at Mark, silencing him once again.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Mark Lee. Anyways, did you see him today?” Mark nodded, shovelling some more food into his mouth.

“Yeah, only once, though. He popped out of his office to talk to Jaehyun-hyung.” Mark finished his food, pushing it back before leaning against the backrest of his chair.

“Mother … I think you should stop trying to get into contact with Taeyong-hyung. If he has kept denying your invitations for all these years, then he doesn’t want to talk to you anymore.” _Plus, it makes it less awkward for me, when I work with him._

Mrs Lee shook her head passionately, reaching to take Mark’s plate.

“No, Mark – no matter what Lee Taeyong says, he is still my son, and even if he’s …” she paused, shuddering softly ( _God, Mark hated it when she acted like that_ ), “I still won’t let him go.”

Mark fought the urge to bury his face in his hands – his and Taeyong’s mother was incredibly stubborn, and even though she and her husband had renounced Taeyong of his connection to the Lee family, all those years ago, Mrs Lee still found it a personal affront when he refused to stay in contact with them.

Mark stood up, grabbing his bag and making his way to his room – Taeyong’s old room, now cleared out into a spare room.

“Mark, where are you going?”

“I need to sleep, mother. Night.”

Mark shut the door and flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the top, and a little glowing skeleton sat in the corner of the room. Mr and Mrs Lee must’ve been unable to pull it all off, and it served as a small reminder of the son who once was.

Mark turned to lie on his side, pulling the blanket over him. He never liked staying at his mother’s – she always complained about her life, her money and Taeyong, whilst endlessly praising Mark.

No wonder Taeyong must hate him – Mark, the illegitimate, bastard brother, received more love than he ever could’ve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HIT 2863 WORDS WITH THIS CHAPTER AND 6 PAGES IN WORD WOW!! PLUS IVE UDATED SO OFTEN!
> 
> ANYWAY WOW WHAT AN UNRAVELMENT UNLESS U OBV READ THE NOTE I HAD IN CHAP1 (before i deleted it lol)
> 
> anwyay my longest chapter so pls enjoy ilyall
> 
> pls revieew and send it around i live for reviews
> 
> ; specialties!
> 
> taeil ; neonatology (premature babies) - 31  
> hansol ; paediatrics (kids under age 18) - 31  
> johnny ; nephrology (kidneys - works with kun a lot) - 30  
> taeyong ; general surgery (kinda just does everything) - 30  
> yuta ; perioperative nurse (scrub nurse, helps taeyong and jaehyun mainly) - 30  
> kun ; endocrinology (endocrine system and hormones - works with johnny a lot) - 29  
> ten ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 29  
> doyoung ; anaesthetist (works with anesthesiology, NOT an anesthesiologist) - 29  
> jaehyun ; general surgery (like taeyong) - 28  
> sicheng ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 28  
> mark ; general surgery (does everything really) - 26, still a resident (last 2 years)  
> haechan ; infectious diseases nurse (its in the name) - 25, last year of residency
> 
> um my twitter is @ulthanyongs- im very nice and i love lots of groups very much pls come talk to me
> 
> ull find out more background info in the story n alll THANK U FOR READING


	4. ;the inevitabilities of tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He had, obviously, experience deaths in his line of work, but it always hurt him, no matter how little, or how much, he knew them. "
> 
> ; the inevitabilities of tragedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw; mentions of death/potential deaths 
> 
> im SO SORRY i haven't updated lately omggg
> 
> my word stopped working on my school laptop and i never got around to finding another way to finish, plus i was stuck for ages on kuns part
> 
> anyway pls enjoy

  * **_ji hansol ; paediatrics_**



“Doctor!”

Hansol turned around, clipboard in hand, only to see one of his nurses ( _and close friends_ ) Ten, doing …

Frankly, Ten confused Hansol most of the time, so the older male just went along with it.

“What do you want, Ten?” he asked, walking over to the Thai man. Ten grinned and grabbed his forearm.

“You’re coming with me!” Before Hansol could respond, two strong arms grabbed him from behind and pulled him into a small room. He was pushed down into his seat, and Johnny Seo – from Nephrology ( _he thinks – Hansol’s still not sure what exactly Nephrology is, or if it’s just a myth_ ) – came into view.

“Hey, hyung – Ten called me in. Said you had a case of becoming a, what I like to call, ‘ _Lee Taeyong_ ’,” Johnny said, sitting on one of the desks. Ten grinned, before turning to face Johnny.

“You really selling him out, huh?”

“Serves him right for ditching my Gilmore Girls marathons, anyway.”

“You still watch that shit?”

Before Johnny could respond – likely in indignation – Hansol held up a hand, commanding silence.

“Why … am I here? If it’s to marathon Gilmore Girls, Johnny, then no thanks.” The nephrologist shook his head, and Hansol nodded. “Well, then, can I go?”

“No, hyung – you really _have_ been working too much! You even ditched our drinking night, and you love drinking!” Hansol opened his mouth to refuse, but Ten continued. “I know it’s hard, seeing him around, all the time, but you can’t let that stop you!”

Hansol froze, straightening in his chair. He should’ve known that this was the main precursor behind the two’s attack on him.

“… and hyung, you keep wearing those _godawful_ khak-“

“Ten.” When Hansol spoke, his voice reverberating throughout the small room, Ten could recognise the strict undertones – Hansol’s _doctor_ voice. “If this is about … Yuta, then I kindly ask you to stop. In the meanwhile, I have patients to attend to. You do too, and I assume Johnny does as well … at least, I think you do.”

Hansol stood up, brushing his pants down, before opening the door and exiting, leaving behind a complaining Ten, and an _indignant_ Johnny.

 

It was hours later, and the topic still hadn’t left Hansol’s mind.

He’d attended to many patients – made sure the Yoon kid was doing okay, checked on the twins, Bin and Minhyuk, in 112, and made sure the new resident, Zhong Chenle, didn’t have more than two breakdowns in the last five hours.

But _he_ was still on his mind, thanks to Ten and Johnny.

Hansol buried his face in his hands, groaning. He scrubbed his hands down his face, before flopping forward onto his desk.

“ _God,_ I’m old. Has it been this long since I had a breakup?” he muttered, before sighing. ( _Albeit forlornly – Hansol was always a romantic._ )

“No – you just suck at your emotions.” A familiar voice – Moon Taeil, neonatologist and Hansol’s proclaimed best friend – came from the doorway, and another groan escaped Hansol’s mouth.

“What do you want, Taeil?” Taeil walked over to the other, perching on his desk and gently patting his head. “Are you here to harass me? I’m afraid I already received the third degree from Ten and co.”

Taeil chuckled softly – a deep, low sound in his throat – and gently carded his fingers once through Hansol’s perfectly styled hair.

“No, Sol, I’m not here to annoy you about your completely amicable breakup from one foreign nurse, but I’m here to remind you that we still have that young mother – Jung Umji – with the potential preemie? We must discuss her either today or tomorrow, and … I’ll reschedule for tomorrow.” Hansol nodded, pushing his head up to look at the older male.

“Thank God for you, Moon Taeil.” Taeil smiled softly, before gently shoving the other’s face away.

“Get up, you look like shit and I think your resident is scaring those twins in 112.”

Looking back, Hansol doesn’t think he’s ever moved faster. ( _When scaring the twins, nothing good ever happens._ )

* * *

  * **_qian kun ; endocrinology_**



Kun shuffled some papers, straightened the photo of him and Sicheng on his desk, and turned back to the figure sitting in his room.

“So … Amber-noona.” Kun met the older woman’s eyes – Amber Liu was one of his superiors at Neo. She was an _exceptional_ senior psychiatrist, and an amazing friend too. Kun wasn’t that close to her, but they had chatted a few times in the cafeteria.

“Hey, Kun. What did you call me here for?” Amber asked, leaning back in her chair. Her sleeves were rolled up, showing off a myriad of tattoos. Normally, she’d have to cover them, but Amber had come in to see Kun during her off-duty hours. ( _Showing how much of an angel she really was_ )

“I, um … I need some help. With … someone.”

 

It had started about three years ago, when Kun first arrived at Neo. It had taken longer for him to finish his schooling, as he had to undertake a pathway so he could _get_ into medical school, but he’d finally made it.

After countless hours of intense studying, and a few ( _ ~~more than a few~~_ ~~)~~ crying breakdowns at 2:21am, Kun had passed his classes with flying colours, and was now an official resident at Neo Hospital, one of the most prestigious hospitals in South Korea. By this time, Neo was getting even _more_ of a reputation, thanks to an incredible heart surgery on two patients that had virtually _no_ chance of survival, by the cardiology surgeon Kim Minseok, plus the “Boy Wonders” Jung Jaehyun and Lee Taeyong were continuously making large strides in the medical field.

However, all those years of studying didn’t prepare him for Dong Sicheng.

When Sicheng first found out that the new resident was Chinese, nothing could have stopped the paediatrics nurse from immediately befriending him. Flash forward three more years, and Kun and Sicheng were _inseparable_.

But, obviously, Kun had to suffer from feelings along the way.

It had been two years since the firsts of that _“do I like him more than friends?”_  feeling started to happen, but Kun pushed them away for the sake of friendship with the younger male, but it was getting worse now and Kun wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Kun honestly, after spending _many_ hours mulling over it, loved Sicheng, but he would never want to hurt him. ( _Plus, he’s a coward, and could never bring himself to ask the younger out_.)

So, he finally sucked it up and turned to one of the most qualified people he could find, for his solution.

 

“So …” Amber leaned back in her chair, hands clasped in front of her.

“Basically … you have a big gay crush on Sicheng, that nurse who works with Ten?” Kun nodded, and a huge grin spread across Amber’s face.

“I … noona, can you … help me?” he asked, voice soft. Amber took pity on him; he’d suffered through his feelings for two years, and was genuinely confused on what to do. She stood up and walked over to the front of his desk, leaning down and taking his hands in hers.

“I think you should really talk to him about it. I doubt, even if he rejected you, he’d want to cut your friendship off.” Kun’s eyes wouldn’t meet Amber’s.

“I … I’ll try, noona.” With that, he gently extricated his hands from hers, stood up and bowed lightly, before opening the door for her. “Sorry to pull you here on your free day. Stay safe, noona.”

Amber nodded at him, flashing a soft smile and clapping him lightly on the shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, Kun. Just … do your best.”

When Amber had finally left, Kun sunk into his chair, and scrubbed his hands down his face, before sighing and getting up to start his evening rounds.

* * *

  *   ** _moon taeil, neonatology_**



A deep groan left Taeil, and he buried his face in his hands, before looking back up at Hansol.

“Shit … really?” Hansol’s serious, yet sad, expression answered all his questions. Taeil got up, slowly pacing the room.

“But … he’s so young, and I thought he was stabilising!” Hansol sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“The tests don’t lie, Tae, and I hate to say it … but I don’t think he’s got long left.”

Taeil’s head swivelled to face Hansol, and it broke the doctor’s heart to see the elder look so … despondent, so upset.

“But … he’s spent so little time on Earth, Sol … he’s so young …” Taeil’s voice was nothing more than a broken whisper, and it took all of four strides before Taeil was wrapped in Hansol’s arms, and he was crying quietly.

Hansol’s fingers carded through his hair, gently comforting Taeil, as he leaned back on his desk. He cradled him in his arms, lips pressed to a tensed forehead.

“I’m sorry … I’m trying my best, I really am, but he’s so _weak_ , and-and _young_ , Tae, and I can’t … I can’t find anything to help him, to stop that lung from collapsing, and …” Hansol’s voice started trembling, so he cut himself off before it broke completely. Taeil shook ever-so-slightly with his sobs, and Hansol just pulled him tighter.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

 

( _It had been two hours earlier, when Hansol had finally pieced it._

_In all the scans of Yoon Jihoon, his right lung – the troublesome one – was always looking a bit … off. After further investigating, and ongoing tests still on for the poor boy, Hansol couldn’t help but feel hopeless._

_A young boy – only five years old – was dying in front of him, and Hansol could not, for the life of him, find out how to fix it._

_There were operations that could be done, but Jihoon was so fragile, and so young. Hansol wanted to gather all options, but time was running out, and Hansol was trying to keep it all together, for Jihoon’s sake._

_He hadn’t told Ten yet – the Thai nurse absolutely adored Jihoon, and would be heartbroken to hear the news. He didn’t want to tell him anything, until he absolutely had to._

_But Hansol found it necessary to tell Taeil, though. The neonatologist had looked after Jihoon when he was a premature baby, making sure he was okay. At that time, Jeonghan had been twenty-five, and still one of Seoul’s most accomplished lawyers. But he was a stressed, new father, only made worse by the fact that his girlfriend had just died in childbirth, and his son could potentially die. Taeil had bonded with him, mainly over coffee and hushed conversations about fears at 4:19am in the morning._

_So Taeil was, too, attached to Jihoon and his father, and always popped in to check up on the boy. Hearing this would hit him hard._ )

 

Taeil still couldn’t believe it, as he slumped back into his chair, in his own office.

He had, obviously, experience deaths in his line of work, but it always hurt him, no matter how little, or how much, he knew them. Having seen Jihoon multiple times throughout his short life, and talking with Jeonghan ( _such a young father, with so much love for his son_ ) only hurt him more, thinking about the inevitable.

He buried his face in his hands again, scrubbing away the tears, before leaning over to grab his phone and open his messages.

 

_16:32, Thursday_

**_[william]_ **

_I need to do something. Anything._

**_[kate]_ **

_like what, hyung_

_also please change my name in my phone, i know im still kate_

**_[william]_ **

_Why_

_It’s beautiful_

_Shows our love for each other_

**_[kate]_ **

_yeah but i hate u hyung_

_:*_

**_[william]_ **

_Yuta’s rubbing off on you_

_Anyway, I know you’re probably overworking yourself into hell, so I don’t expect you to do anything with me_

_(It’d be nice though)_

**_[kate]_ **

_haha_

_sounds amazing hyung_

_well not tomorrow but maybe Saturday …_

_i could hold a little dinner thing at mine? i’ll cook nd all_

**_[william]_ **

_We know you wouldn’t have it any other way_

_You hate other people’s cooking_

_Anyway, that sounds amazing_

_Also, have you met that new surgery resident?_

**_[kate]_ **

_i just cook better_

_and awesome_

_who? we have a new surgery resident?_

_why wasn’t i told?_

**_[william]_ **

_Sorry, I gotta go_

_But ask Jaehyun – he’s the kid’s mentor_

_Anyway, see you Saturday. I’ll start asking around_

**_[kate]_ **

_bye hyung_

**_[william]_ **

_Bye, Taeyong_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! ive already started planning chap5 out and im really excited
> 
> and ooh some relationships and ~love are being revealed
> 
> pls comment and kudos and share this story (try not to let nct find it i think id die if johnny or jeffrey found this id never live it down)
> 
> anyway VYBE
> 
> ; specialties!
> 
> taeil ; neonatology (premature babies) - 31  
> hansol ; paediatrics (kids under age 18) - 31  
> johnny ; nephrology (kidneys - works with kun a lot) - 30  
> taeyong ; general surgery (kinda just does everything) - 30  
> yuta ; perioperative nurse (scrub nurse, helps taeyong and jaehyun mainly) - 30  
> kun ; endocrinology (endocrine system and hormones - works with johnny a lot) - 29  
> ten ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 29  
> doyoung ; anaesthetist (works with anesthesiology, NOT an anesthesiologist) - 29  
> jaehyun ; general surgery (like taeyong) - 28  
> sicheng ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 28  
> mark ; general surgery (does everything really) - 26, still a resident (last 2 years)  
> haechan ; infectious diseases nurse (its in the name) - 25, last year of residency
> 
> um my twitter is @ulthanyongs- im very nice and i love lots of groups very much pls come talk to me
> 
> ull find out more background info in the story n alll THANK U FOR READING


	5. ;of parties and murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'As soon as their gazes met each other's, all Taeyong could hear was sudden crashing. (Later on, he came to realise that it was him, dropping his glass).'
> 
> ; taeyong throws a party, jaehyun is pushy and mark doesn't want to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG 
> 
> i liked writing this chap it was fun (i just love ty and mark centred fics im bye)
> 
> um pls send some love

  * **_jung jaehyun ; general surgery_**



 

“You’re holding a party?” Jaehyun raised an eyebrow, looking up at the man in question.

 

Taeyong sighed, leaning against the door of Jaehyun’s office. He had just gone through this _exact_ conversation with Doyoung, and Taeil, _and_ Ten.

 

“ _Yes_ , I’m holding a party. _Yes_ , I can be social. _No_ , Yuta is not making me do this. Listen, are you going to come or not?” Taeyong asked, obviously wanting to hurry to his office. Jaehyun stifled his laughter, nodding.

 

“Sure, hyung. I’ll come. What about the resident, though?” Taeyong looked confused – _of course he looked confused_.

 

“What resident?” he asked, those intense, brown eyebrows of his furrowing.

 

Now Jaehyun couldn’t stifle his laughter – he knew Taeil had told him, but Taeyong obviously forgot. _Again_.

 

“The resident, hyung – the one who sits next to my office. I think he’s scared of you – he doesn’t want me to introduce you.” Taeyong looked hurt at that, but also relieved.

 

Somehow at the same time.

 

“Well, whatever – invite him then. Maybe he’ll realise I’m a much nicer person than you.” Before Jaehyun could respond with an equally scathing remark, Taeyong had disappeared and ( _presumably_ ) hibernated back into his office.

 

“He’s so annoying,” Jaehyun mumbled fondly, returning to his paperwork. He paused for a few seconds, before pressing a button on his office telephone.

 

“Mark? Can you come into my office for a second, please?”

 

“Wait, hyung, you want me to do _what_?”

 

Jaehyun knew that Mark would react like this – his aversion to Taeyong had worsened lately, but he needed to be able to work with Taeyong if he wanted to be a surgeon.

 

“Listen, Mark – I, as your superior, am ordering you to attend this gathering. It’s just going to be some of the doctors here, and they’re really nice. Well, except for Doyoung- hyung, but he’s another thing entirely … and Yuta- hyung , but that – anyway! They’re all really nice, and Taeyong-hyung doesn’t even _know_ that there’s a new resident!” Jaehyun knew he was ruining his own image by essentially begging, but he really wanted Mark to come.

 

“ _Please_ , Mark.”

 

The younger male in front of him sighed, worrying his lip in between his teeth, before nodding.

 

“I … I’ll come. I can’t ignore Taeyong-sunbaenim any long, can I?” Jaehyun shook his head, his iconic grin returning to his face.

 

“You really can’t, Mark. But that’s okay – if it gets bad, which I doubt, just come and find me or Johnny-hyung. But I highly doubt that – Taeyong _-_ hyung fears his own reflection.”

 

* * *

 

  * **_**_mark lee ; general surgery resident_**_**



 

“Mother … yes, I’m fine … can you please- yes, I’ll wait,” Mark sighed, leaning against the wall at the back of the hospital. He was trying to call his mother, but she was _always_ busy; either out with her friends, or grocery shopping, or yelling at her husband.

 

Either way, she was too busy to listen to Mark now.

 

Five minutes passed before Mrs Lee was free once more, back to smothering Mark through the phone.

 

“Mo-Mother, listen to me!” Mark called through the phone, managing to get her attention. “Taeyong-hyung is having a party at his place tomorrow, and Jaehyun-hyung invited me to go. I don’t think I’m going to go, though.” Almost immediately, screeching protests came through the phone – so ear-piercing that Mark had to put the phone down for a second.

 

“Mother – fine, I’ll go! Yes … yes, I love you too,” Mark said, hanging up and sinking down against the wall. He buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly.

 

“What was that, Mark?” Mark’s head shot up, banging against the wall before he turned to see Yuta standing next to him, hands in pockets and a scowl on his face.

 

“I, um –“ Mark was cut off by Yuta moving to sink down next to him, hands now moving to rest on his knees.

 

“I knew there was something familiar about you, especially when I heard you talk. You’re _him_ , aren’t you?” When Mark’s expression conveyed nothing but confusion, Yuta let out an irritated sigh and swiped his hair back roughly. “ _You’re_ the half-brother, aren’t you?”

 

 _Oh_ , Mark thought. _Shit, he found out._

 

“I … sorry, hyung .” Mark didn’t know why he was apologising, especially to _Yuta_ , but it came out before he could stop it. Yuta raised an eyebrow, his expression nothing short of unimpressed.

 

“I don’t know you well, kid, but I know that you’d better not cause  _any_  trouble for Taeyong, okay? I know what your mother’s done to him, and I don’t know where you stand in it, but you still have yet to impress me.” Yuta stood up then, the change in sizes unsettling Mark for a second.

 

“I-I promise, sunbaenim. I won’t do anything to trouble Taeyong-sunbae.” Seemingly satisfied for that moment, Yuta disappeared into the hospital again, leaving Mark along with his pounding heart.

 

 

Mark’s fingers fumbled with his stethoscope, almost knocking into the old man he was checking.

 

“I’m so sorry,” he gasped, stepping back and letting Jaehyun swoop in to save the situation. The old man gave him a weak smile, as if to say ‘ _i_ _t’s alright, you tried_ ’. Jaehyun patted Mark on the back, but nothing made him feel better.

 

“Are you nervous about tonight?” Jaehyun asked once they were outside, Mark leaning against the wall. Silence passed before Mark nodded, gaze anywhere but Jaehyun’s eyes.

 

“I’m just afraid that something will happen.” Mark couldn’t tell Jaehyun that Yuta basically  _threatened_ him yesterday – he’d never believe him.

 

“It’ll be fine, Mark – remember that I’ll be there, and I’ll make sure Johnny isn’t being an asshole and keeps an eye out too.” Jaehyun grinned, clapping the younger on the shoulder. “Us foreigners have to stick out for each other, you know? That reminds me – I should add you to the foreigner group chat.” Mark’s expression immediately turned stricken, and he frantically shook his head.

 

“Please, hyung -“ he begged, but Jaehyun had already turned around, pulling out his phone. Sure enough, Mark soon felt his phone buzzing in the pocket of his lab coat, and Jaehyun turned around to flash him an impish smile before taking off down the hallway.

 

Mark slumped as he walked into the general surgery office, making his way to his cubicle. He had just enough time to slide behind his desk when Taeyong burst out the office, looking fifty shades of frazzled. Unfortunately, he wasn’t lucky enough to escape the surgeon’s sight.

 

“You!” Mark froze, head slowly dropping so his gaze faced the desk. Taeyong didn’t notice – he was either incredibly oblivious or too focused on other matters, to care. “Where’s Jaehyun? Do you know?”

 

“I-I saw him about 5 minutes ago – he went into the cardiology ward …” Taeyong, seemingly unsatisfied, stormed out of the office, and Mark sighed in relief before continuing back to his work. His phone buzzed and, when Mark pulled it out, was filled with texts from Jaehyun, whining about how Taeyong had found him and how the lectures he was receiving was all Mark’s fault. Turning the device off, Mark finally managed to focus on his work, yet the subject on tonight’s dinner still played in the background of his mind.

 

* * *

 

  * **_lee taeyong ; general surgery_**



 

“Taeyong, for _fuck’s_ sake, it’s fine!”

 

Yuta sighed for the tenth time, watching Taeyong stress over what tie looked better. Pushing himself off the Korean’s bed, he made his way over and took Taeyong’s hands away from the ugly ties he held, and threw them back into the closet.

 

“Okay, listen here, dipshit. You’re talented, and really hot, but you have _no_ fashion sense and I’ve spent more than a decade suffering from it. So, I’m going to dress you tonight, and you are not allowed to change out of it,” Yuta stated, already unbuttoning the dress shirt Taeyong had put on and throwing it aside.

 

“Yuta! I-“

 

“Shut up and let me do God’s work, okay? By the end of this, you’ll finally get some d-“

 

“YUTA!”

 

Taeyong’s protests fell on deaf ears as Yuta made quick work of redressing him, stepping back to admire his handiwork. He nodded, his familiar grin finally making its way back onto his face.

 

“Finally, you actually look like you have a life. Now come on, I want to beat your ass in DDR again.”

 

“I’m never playing that with you again, I already told you.”

 

“Whatever, old man. We’ll play some other shit, then.”

 

Taeyong honestly didn’t expect the dinner party to turn out this well – everyone he’d invited actually turned up. Well, he thinks so, as he hasn’t actually seen Hansol or the new resident yet, but Yuta handled the door service, so some people probably slid under his radar.

 

Also, he got lots of compliments on the outfit Yuta had dressed him in – ranging from “you look really nice, Taeyong,” ( _Taeil_ ) to “holy shit, I’m five steps away from laying you down and spr-“ ( _Johnny, the stupid shit_ ) – and everyone liked the food.

 

Taeyong walked around his small living room, occasionally stopping to make conversation with everyone, until he finally found Jaehyun.

 

“Hey, Jaehyun,” he started, startling Jaehyun from staring at a photograph on the top of his bookshelf. Jaehyun stood up then, grinning sheepishly at Taeyong, and took another drink from his glass.

 

“Hey, hyung. Congrats on the party – I know how hard socialising is for you.” Jaehyun ducked a punch from Taeyong, laughing into his wine.

 

“Shut up, and I want to ask you something. Where’s that resident?” Jaehyun looked around, surveying everyone in the room, before pointing over at a figure standing by the stereo. He seemed to be staring intensely at a frame there, fingers wrapped tightly around the glass in his hands.

 

“That’s him there – Mark. Go talk to him, you big surgeon, you.” Jaehyun ran off, avoiding another punch and cackling loudly. Taeyong sighed, downing the contents of the wine in his glass. He caught Jaehyun’s eye, who nodded back at him, before moving over to Mark.

 

“Hey,” Taeyong called out to the resident, Mark immediately turning to face him. As soon as their gazes met each other, all Taeyong could hear was sudden crashing. (Later on, he came to realise that it was him, dropping his glass.)

 

Mark looked like a deer caught in headlights; mouth wide open and eyes blown wide. He almost dropped his glass, but set it down before it happened. Silence fell over the room as soon as Taeyong’s glass left his grasp, and Yuta immediately found his place besides the older surgeon.

 

“Okay, I think it’s time we all went ho-“ Yuta was cut off by Taeyong suddenly storming forward and grabbing Mark’s collar, yanking him forward.

 

Everyone froze, staring in fear at the showdown in front of them. No one – no one except Yuta and Johnny – had ever seen Taeyong so mad, but here he was clutching Mark’s collar and looking close to murderous.

 

“What … the _fuck_ are you doing in my house?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIPLSDONTHATEMEBYE
> 
> ; specialties!
> 
> taeil ; neonatology (premature babies) - 31  
> hansol ; paediatrics (kids under age 18) - 31  
> johnny ; nephrology (kidneys - works with kun a lot) - 30  
> taeyong ; general surgery (kinda just does everything) - 30  
> yuta ; perioperative nurse (scrub nurse, helps taeyong and jaehyun mainly) - 30  
> kun ; endocrinology (endocrine system and hormones - works with johnny a lot) - 29  
> ten ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 29  
> doyoung ; anaesthetist (works with anesthesiology, NOT an anesthesiologist) - 29  
> jaehyun ; general surgery (like taeyong) - 28  
> sicheng ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 28  
> mark ; general surgery (does everything really) - 26, still a resident (last 2 years)  
> haechan ; infectious diseases nurse (its in the name) - 25, last year of residency
> 
> um my twitter is @ulthanyongs- im very nice and i love lots of groups very much pls come talk to me
> 
> ull find out more background info in the story n alll THANK U FOR READING


	6. ;the aftermaths of reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s alright, Tae, don’t worry,” Yuta murmured softly, sitting down next to the surgeon. Taeyong choked back a half-sob, eyes trained down to his feet.
> 
> “I’m an idiot, I should’ve just left him alone …”
> 
> ; taeyong regrets, everyone remembers and ten is already done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um sorry for the late update but I'm back!!!
> 
> also I know last chapter was a MESS but hopefully it will ... what am I talking about, I'm the writer and its gonna get messier.
> 
> also! in case anyone is a bit unsure, because it does touch on a bit of relationship/sex inference, but everyone is aged up! (aka the dream kids are all not underage. they're all way above the age of consent dw. jisung the youngest is like 23 so they're all above that age)
> 
> anyway pls enjoy!
> 
> also I apologise for medical inaccuracies - I literally just went off the knowledge I learnt of the lungs this term in high school biology (I didn't have the means to quickly research anything)
> 
> (pls just roll with it)

  * **_nakamoto yuta ; perioperative nursing_**



 

Yuta gently steered Taeyong onto his bed, Johnny following nervously behind.

“It’s alright, Tae, don’t worry,” Yuta murmured softly, sitting down next to the surgeon. Taeyong choked back a half-sob, eyes trained down to his feet.

“I’m an idiot, I should’ve just left him alone …” Yuta looked up at Johnny, prompting the other to sit on Taeyong’s other side and wrap an arm around him. Taeyong sighed shakily, before turning to burrow his face in Yuta’s neck, Johnny still with an arm around him. Yuta looked over black hair to meet Johnny’s gaze, expressions dark and mood heavy from the previous events.

 

 

As soon as Yuta saw Taeyong make his way over to Mark, he knew something would happen and immediately excused himself from bickering with Doyoung to be with Taeyong. However, he didn’t get there fast enough to stop Taeyong from snapping.

 

Silence reigned over the room, everyone holding their breaths as Taeyong grasped Mark’s collar so harshly, his pale knuckles went even paler. Yuta felt a flash of sympathy for Mark – he looked absolutely terrified, his feet just barely grazing the floor. Yuta laid a gentle hand on Taeyong’s bicep, trying to calm him down enough to let the resident down.

“Come on, Tae – just let him down,” Yuta mumbled softly, watching as emotions shifted across Taeyong’s face. Hurt, anger and sadness rapidly cycled through the older male before he shoved Mark away. The resident hit the wall, the picture he’d been admiring crashing to the floor.

 

Scrubbing a hand roughly over his face, Taeyong coughed, before looking up at everyone. Something tugged in Yuta to see those big, brown eyes glistening, and to hear the hoarseness of his voice.

“Everyone, could you – could you leave, please? The party’s over.” Taeyong disappeared as soon as he said those words, and a few seconds passed before Johnny sprang into action and started ushering everyone towards to the door. Yuta looked over at Mark, who was close to tears, before walking over and gently clapping him on the shoulder. He looked up in horror, lip trembling as he tried to respond.

“No, Mark, it’s fine – I know you didn’t do anything then. But if I were you … I’d just go. Please.” Mark nodded, tears threatening to slip down his face, before he hurried off.

 

Yuta sighed as Johnny made his way back over to the other, gathering him in his arms.

 

“We’d better go find him,” was all Johnny said, his deep voice a low murmur. Yuta nodded, before extricating himself from Johnny and gently going to pick up the crashed photo frame. He bit back a sob when he realised what it was – the only photo of Mark and Taeyong together, when Mark had first been born. Taeyong’s mother refused to let Mark go back to Canada with his birth father without a photo of him. Taeyong had been four at the time, and still a stranger to his mother’s harsh, manipulative ways.

 

In the photo, Taeyong was sitting next to his mother, Mark’s fingers gently curled around his older half-brother’s index finger. The father was nowhere in shot, and Yuta remembered being told that Mrs Lee had made Mr Lee take the photo. He set the pieces back down, falling back onto his butt and letting a sob escape him. Johnny immediately fell to his knees and gathered the Japanese man into his arms again. Yuta turned his face into a broad chest, letting the American place soft kisses over his face and his hair. They stayed like this for a few minutes, until Yuta calmed down and Johnny helped him up.

“We’d better – we’d better go find Tae, then …” Yuta nodded, wiping at the wet trails on his face. Johnny rubbed soft circles into his lower back, before moving forward to open the door to Taeyong’s guest bathroom – the room he had disappeared into earlier.

 

 

The sight before the two twisted them in ways they couldn’t imagine – Taeyong, hunched over the bathroom sink sobbing. Yuta, having spent most of his life with the other, had been through all his ups and downs, but Johnny was still foreign to seeing Taeyong so upset. ( _Which explained the few tears Yuta caught Johnny wiping from his own face_ )

 

“Yong-ie,” Yuta murmured, walking over and wrapping an arm around the Korean, letting him slump against him. Broken sobs filled the room, and Taeyong’s knees buckled until he shakily slid down against the bathtub – Yuta and Johnny sitting on either side.

 

“W-W-Why was he – he here?” Taeyong choked out, red-rimmed eyes searching his best friends’ for answers. “He – he would’ve kno-known about m-me-“ Johnny tucked Taeyong into his chest when he was too choked up to talk, quietly crooning against black hair and closing his own eyes to stem his tears. Yuta gently slid his hand up the back of Taeyong’s shirt, rubbing against the pale skin soothingly.

 

Yuta’s phone kept buzzing in his pocket, but he couldn’t find the energy to pull it out. Soon enough, the foreigners finally managed to get Taeyong off the bathroom floor, and onto his bed. Once Taeyong had crashed against the pillows, Johnny curled around his back, Yuta excused himself out into the living room and checked the messages on his phone.

 

_21:06, Saturday_

**_[jaehyun oppa]_ **

_yuta hyung??_

**_[yukkeuri]_ **

_jaehyunie_

_hows mark?_

**_[jaehyun oppa]_ **

_hes . really shaken up_

_ive taken him back to mine to stay the night_

_he hasn’t said a word at all_

_but he looks really sad … i think he feels really bad_

**_[yukkeuri]_ **

_i cant believe taeyong exploded like that …_

_hes been really upset too. he regrets blowing up like that_

_but i don’t blame him_

_it sounds assholey … mark didn’t deserve what happened_

_but ive known taeyong for so long and._

_i cant rly say anymore sorry jaehyunie_

**_[jaehyun oppa]_ **

_i hope hyung is okay_

_i know u cant tell me anything_

_but i guessed there was something going on when mark wouldn’t talk to hyung_

_let taeyong hyung know that i said sorry_

_i was the one who made mark come_

_im really sorry hyung_

**_[yukkeuri]_ **

_its not ur fault jaehyunie_

_don’t ever think its ur fault_

_stay okay nd look after mark_

_bye jaehyunie_

**_[jaehyun oppa]_ **

_bye hyung_

_just … tell hyung im sorry …_

Yuta sighed, pocketing his phone and sinking down against the wall. It was such a bad end to the evening.

 

* * *

 

  * **_moon taeil ; neonatology_**



Taeil sat in his car silently, staring at the driving wheel. Hansol was seated next to him, equally as quiet. They stayed like this for a few minutes, before Taeil finally couldn’t handle it anymore.

 

“Why on _Earth_ did you think Mark and Taeyong were secretly having an affair?” Hansol flinched, looking down at his hands. Taeil sighed loudly, running a hand through curly hair void of the usual gel. “Honestly, that’s the weirdest explanation I’ve heard for the tensions between them, and I talked to Ten and Sicheng.”

 

“I don’t know, Tae, but it’s obvious now that they’re clearly not,” Hansol muttered, leaning back and drumming his fingers against his knee.

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, too, isn’t it? Mark looks like a kid.”

 

“He’s twenty-five and last time I checked, that most definitely constitutes an adult who can consent.”

 

Taeil’s head thudded against the back of his seat, eyes closing. Sometimes, he really wondered why he hung out with these people when he could easily be friends with some of the older members of the hospital.

 

“Tonight’s been too dramatic for me to keep hearing this. Come on, I want some ice cream.”

 

 

Ten minutes later found the two doctors sitting outside a convenience store, Hansol nursing a scalding coffee whilst Taeil had a chocolate ice-cream.

 

“Despite the whole blow-up, how was the dinner? I’m glad you came in the end,” Taeil said, propping his feet in Hansol’s lap and avoiding his disgruntled look with an innocent lick of butterscotch ice-cream.

 

“I’m glad I came too,” Hansol responded quietly, sipping his coffee gingerly. Originally, he didn’t want to come and risk seeing Yuta, but it turned out to be fun and only _once_ did he think of the foreigner. “I’ve never see Taeyong that mad before, however.”

 

Taeil hummed, licking up his ice-cream again and keeping the chocolate from melting onto his fingers. He lightly nudged at Hansol’s thigh with his foot, nodding once.

 

“Only once have I seen him like that – I think it was an awards ceremony once, and some lady had come, claiming connections to Taeyong. Anyway, after he’d found out she was there, he took her outside straight away. I was in the bathroom and all I could hear was screaming and yelling.”

 

“Holy shit.” Taeil chuckled softly, nudging Hansol again.

 

“Is that all you can say, Sol-ie?” he asked, grinning at the younger. Hansol narrowed his eyes playfully, before gathering Taeil’s legs and dumping them unceremoniously onto the floor.

 

“Come on, old man, we should get you home before your curfew.”

 

“You’re _literally_ a few months younger, but whatever.”

 

 

Taeil could feel the thick tension the next day when he went to visit Jaehyun for something. Mark was nowhere to be seen, and Taeyong had, once again, locked himself in his office.

 

“Knock, knock,” Taeil murmured as he opened Jaehyun’s door, immediately taking in the younger’s haggard appearance. “I’ve got some lovely paperwork, Jaehyun-ie.”

 

The surgeon looked up, looking every bit as exhausted as he felt, before nodding and motioning to his desk. “Just set it down, hyung, and I’ll get to it soon.”

 

Taeil nodded, setting the paperwork down. Before he turned to leave, Taeil spoke up:

 

“Jaehyun, are you okay?” Jaehyun looked up at that, mulling over the question before smiling softly, yet bitterly, back at the neonatologist.

 

“No, hyung. I’m not.” Taeil nodded softly, moving to stand closer to the younger and gently squeeze his shoulder.

 

“It’ll turn out okay, Jae – Taeyong and Mark will clear up whatever problems they have, and it’ll be fine soon.” Taeil ran a comforting hand through Jaehyun’s messy hair, before moving to leave. “If it’s too much here later on, just come find me.”

 

Jaehyun looked up then, nodding and waving Taeil off with one of the most forced smiled Taeil had ever seen on the young man.

 

 

“I’ve never seen him so down, Hansol, and this is _Jung Jaehyun_! He’s the _epitome_ of mischief, and he’s always so ha- _Ji Hansol_!” Hansol shot up, blinking and looking around before meeting Taeil’s eyes again.

  
“Oh, s-sorry Taeil, I must’ve fallen asleep,” Hansol mumbled, and Taeil clucked disapprovingly.

 

“Not _must’ve_ , you _did_ fall asleep. Why are you so tired?” Taeil was perched on the edge of Hansol’s desk, his white coat discarded neatly on the chair in the corner.

 

Hansol turned the computer screen to face Taeil, showing various breathing patterns and heart rates. In the corner was an x-ray of a child’s lungs, and a large, red circle ( _obviously drawn in marker_ ) was around the left lung.

  
“I’m trying to see where and when Jihoon’s breathing falters, and if his lung has gotten strong enough to withstand a surgery yet,” Hansol explained, pointing at the lung in question with the red marker. “See, there’s the abnormalities mainly focused on the bottom of the lung, and the bronchi aren’t as strong as they should be. I’m wondering how those will fare in a surgery.”

 

Taeil nodded, getting up and walking around to stand behind Hansol. He laid a hand on his shoulder and leant in to see closer.

 

“If I’m being honest … the bronchi should be fine. We’ve done surgeries on children with lungs more damaged than Jihoon’s, and they’re fine now.” Hansol shook his head, leaning back against his chair.

 

“We’ve done about twenty of these surgeries, and only fourteen of them made it past their thirties without breathing apparatus,” he countered, looking up at Taeil. Taeil sighed, meeting Hansol’s gaze before he responded.  
  
“Yes, but Jihoon will still live, won’t he? There’s still a chance he won’t need any apparatus later, and you _know_ that we owe it to him to at least try, Ji Hansol.”

 

Taeil stared the doctor down, a silent battle raging before Hansol sighed, giving in and reaching to grab the telephone from its hook.

 

“I’ll talk to some of the surgeons and see if they’ll do it – maybe Jonghyun-sunbaenim will do it.”

 

Taeil grinned, squeezing Hansol’s shoulder before standing back. Finally, at least _something_ good was happening.

 

* * *

 

  * **_chittaphon leechaiyapornkul (ten) ; paediatrics [nursing]_**



For once, Ten wasn’t needlessly running around and filling the hospital with his chatter, but when he wasn’t looking after patients he was in the staff kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee.

 

Ten had seen Taeyong briefly when the older had arrived – it was in the early hours of the morning, and Ten had managed to quickly fill in for a morning shift so he wasn’t stuck at home. Taeyong had brushed past the nurse, seemingly unaware of him, and all Ten could remember was his bloodshot eyes and pale skin. ( _Paler than normal_.)

 

“Hyung?” Ten looked up to see Sicheng standing in front of him, sipping something from a thermos. Ten patted the seat next to him, Sicheng plopping down next to him.

 

“You alright?” Sicheng asked softly after a few minutes, resting a calming hand on Ten’s knee. The older nurse sighed, his head falling back to stare at the ceiling.

 

“I … I don’t even know where to begin, Sicheng-ie. You were there last night – did you ever expect hyung to react like that?” Ten asked, looking at the Chinese nurse next to him. Sicheng shook his head, taking a tentative sip from his thermos again, before Ten continued.

 

“He just … snapped. I’ve never seen him so angry …” Ten trailed off, staring forlornly into his coffee. He and Taeyong used to be close friends – they were _still_ close, but hospital work proved to be an excellent platonic cockblock.

 

Sicheng sighed and set his thermos down on the table. “Come on, hyung, let’s do our rounds again. We shouldn’t talk about this, anyway – it’s Taeyong-hyung and Mark’s business, anyway.”

 

Ten nodded, sipping his coffee once more before standing up, following Sicheng out of the kitchen.

 

 

It was hours later when Ten finally caught sight of Mark.

 

The nurse had ducked into the surgery offices with some afternoon lunch for Jaehyun, dropping it off with a drink and a quick hug for the younger. He would’ve brought something for Taeyong, but the older surgeon tended to clam up in normal situations, and Ten would bet his life that Taeyong wouldn’t even answer the door unless he was a certain scrub nurse or endocrinologist.

 

As Ten was leaving, a pale Mark pushed past him ( _not unlike Taeyong had, earlier that day_ ) through the entrance. He turned around dazedly, before quickly realising who he’d knocked into and hurriedly bowed with an apology, stumbling over his words.

 

“It’s alright, Mark,” Ten said, stepping forward and gently pushed the other into a standing position. Mark’s eyes, as well, were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and he carried himself with a dejected slump. It hurt Ten to see the young resident like this – he didn’t know Mark personally, but Ten always saw how Jaehyun joked around with him. He could tell that whatever was going on between Taeyong and Mark was draining both parties involved.

 

“You’re probably busy, so I’ll leave you now. Cheer up,” Ten added with a soft smile, gently nudging the other’s shoulder. ( _He ignored how the other swayed with such a light touch, but Ten knew he’d be bringing it up with Jaehyun later._ )

 

 

“Ah, how’s little Jihoon-ie?” Ten burst into Jihoon’s room, the five-year-old brightening up considerably. Ten had noticed that Jihoon was more visible with his emotions now, showing when he was happy and excited instead of hiding it behind his shyness.

 

“Mr Ten!” Jihoon’s voice was hoarse – he’d been told not to use it often, at risk of inhaling any irritants that could set any attacks off. Ten plopped down next to him, handing him the little orange juice he’d bought for him.

 

“Here you go, Jihoon – I stole this from Hansol-hyung himself.” Ten grinned at the younger, his heart almost exploding when he received a gummy grin back. It was moments like this that Ten knew he’d always want children, but he was content with being a nurse for them at the current moment.

 

He needed to get a partner first. ( _That’s only the first of his problems, as he … didn’t particularly have any anatomy for childbearing, and neither would his dream partner._ )

 

“How’re you feeling lately?” Ten helped Jihoon settle back against his pillows, placing the latest toy from Jeonghan down next to him – a large, stuffed _Kumamon_ plush.

 

“Tired ... and my stomach hurts a lot,” Jihoon murmured, wrapping a small arm around the plush and tugging it closer to his body. Ten made a sympathetic noise, brushing a comforting hand through Jihoon’s black hair.

 

“Ah … your hair is so nice, Jihoon-ie. Is it the Yoon genes?” Ten tugged his own hair, bemoaning the short length and inwardly rejoicing in Jihoon’s giggles. It was a running joke with the two ( _and almost everyone in the paediatrics ward_ ) about the Yoon hair genes – Jeonghan always had luscious, long hair and Jihoon did not fall short of that department, his hair always glossy and healthy.

 

 _If only he was as healthy as his hair,_ Ten thought sadly.

 

He spent a few more minutes entertaining Jihoon, before seeing him off with a quick kiss to the forehead and another ruffle to his hair. After he was done seeing Jihoon, Ten’s rounds were over, leaving him free to seek out his _favourite_ partner in crime.

 

“Yoo-hoo, Joh-“ Ten cut himself off as he peeked into Johnny’s office, seeing the other in deep conversation with Yuta. Both looked extremely serious, and Yuta looked close to tears. Ten silently backed away, pushing his hands into the pockets of his uniform and sighed.

 

“Why is everyone so solemn these days?” he mumbled, making his way back to the paediatrics ward. All the nurses were busy, and Ten couldn’t bother Hansol unless he wanted to lose another lunch break. ( _Hansol had gotten it into him that taking away Ten’s breaks would motivate him to stop harassing the doctor. It worked._ )

 

“Ten!” Ten turned around, only to see Kun running up to him. It’d been a while since Ten had last had a _proper_ conversation with the Chinese doctor – Kun was busy finishing his last year until he was fully certified as an endocrinologist.

 

“Ah, Kun – what’s up?” Ten asked, looking over the male in front of him. He looked … out of breath, to say the least. But he wasn’t crying or pale, so Ten didn’t suspect the worst.

 

“I … have you seen Sicheng?” Kun asked, looking around frantically. Ten bit back a disappointed sigh – it really did seem like no one wanted to talk today.

 

“I haven’t, Kun, sorry,” he responded after a moment’s silence, and was about to bid Kun goodbye when the other seemed to find someone ( _Sicheng, most likely_ ). Kun hurriedly cut Ten off with a rushed goodbye, before running off down the hall behind Ten.

 

He watched him go, slumping. It was only the first day, but Ten was already tired of all the solemnity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was 8 pages this is the longest chapter I've written for this story holy shit

**Author's Note:**

> ; specialties!
> 
> taeil ; neonatology (premature babies) - 31  
> hansol ; paediatrics (kids under age 18) - 31  
> johnny ; nephrology (kidneys - works with kun a lot) - 30  
> taeyong ; general surgery (kinda just does everything) - 30  
> yuta ; perioperative nurse (scrub nurse, helps taeyong and jaehyun mainly) - 30  
> kun ; endocrinology (endocrine system and hormones - works with johnny a lot) - 29  
> ten ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 29  
> doyoung ; anaesthetist (works with anesthesiology, NOT an anesthesiologist) - 29  
> jaehyun ; general surgery (like taeyong) - 28  
> sicheng ; paediatrics nurse (nurse with kids under age 18) - 28  
> mark ; general surgery (does everything really) - 26, still a resident (last 2 years)  
> haechan ; infectious diseases nurse (its in the name) - 25, last year of residency
> 
> um my twitter is @ninetyfiives - im very nice and i love lots of groups very much pls come talk to me
> 
> ull find out more background info in the story n alll THANK U FOR READING


End file.
